In the News

Naming of Greenway System for Howard W. Peak

Approved Unanimously by City Council

The San Antonio City Council voted unanimously today to name the City’s popular system of greenway hike and bike trails for former Mayor Howard W. Peak.

"I’m so honored and so surprised, it’s almost overwhelming," Peak said after the Council’s action during its regular Thursday session. "People have said some really nice things about me today, but the important thing is this infrastructure that we’re creating, piece by piece, throughout the city."

Forty-one miles of hike and bike trails have been constructed along Salado Creek, Leon Creek, and Medina River since the passage by voters of the first sales tax initiative in 2000, an initiative spearheaded by Peak during his tenure as mayor.

Peak began formulating the idea of a "ring" of hike and bike trails in flood zones along city-owned creeks while working in the Planning Department and while serving on the Zoning Commission. As a City Councilman representing District 9 from 1993 to 1997, he partnered with Councilman Lyle Larson to purchase the land which began the trail system in Walker Ranch Historic Landmark Park.

As mayor from 1997 to 2001, he solidified his vision of hike and bike trails along Leon and Salado Creeks and won citizen support to dedicate one-eighth of a cent of the sales tax to begin development of the trail system in partnership with the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program.

The sales tax initiative approved by voters in 2000 raised $20 million, enough to fund 11 miles of trails. In 2005, Peak led a campaign to renew the tax for $45 million to add 38 miles of trails and again in 2010, the voters approved the continuation of the sales tax to build an additional 30 miles of trail. The trail systems funding to date incorporates 85 miles of planned trails in an overall system goal that could ultimately yield up to 130 miles of hike and bike trails along the creekways.

Peak said Thursday he has no plans to rest on his laurels. "The trails are my primary civic activity now. I’ll continue to chair the [Linear Creekway Advisory] board and continue to work with great people who take the ideas in my head and get them built on the ground."

Leon Creek Greenway North and the Medina River Greenway were recently designated as national recreation trails by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, joining a network of more than 1,150 previously designated trails that span 23 states.

Peak has also been recognized for his tireless work in support of the greenway trails to include receiving the State Trail Advocacy Award from the American Trails National Trails Awards Program. The former mayor said he hadn’t really thought of the trail system as his legacy. "I suppose it is. This will be going on long after I’m gone."

A celebration of the naming will be scheduled at a later date in conjunction with the opening of another segment of the trail system.